Sardinia, St Theresa, June 2010

St Theresa is a separate island off of Sardinia but it is connected by a long bridge. It is known for its rare plant life and very interesting rock formations. The aquatic colour of the water is magnificent. It is a lighter blue than anywhere else on the island.

Queen Ann's lace was in bloom everywhere and I had a lot of fun capturing it in the glare of midday. The heat drove us to rock alcoves where we rested our bodies against the cool underside of the rocks.

After that we explored an ancient boat house of which only ruins remain. It was very interesting to see the ancient, artistic work that went into an outbuilding. I discovered a small octopus in the water while I was cooling my feet down. It made me realise that I need an underwater camera.

Sardinia: Loiri, June 2010

Tanzy and Giovanni invited us into their home and very quickly became friends. We were invited for "spaghetata" one evening and Giovanni told us many tales about Sardinia in the older days when the Mafiosi still ruled the operations.

He told us about the shepherds that used to live in caves and huts made from sticks and stones. He shared about his childhood and the differences between Italy and Sardinia. 

Tanzy is a horse trainer. We would wake every morning to the sound of the horses galloping in the ring while Tanzy trained them. Due to the heat, the flies become a real problem and so in general the horses are actually quite fidgety which makes training harder during the summer months. The ground also becomes too hard for their hooves and so training slows down a lot. She was very interested in Ireland and how horse training happens here due to the difference in climate and soil make up.

Before marrying Giovanni, Tanzy owned her own yacht and chartered small tours around the Med. She told us about the hard work involved but also how she misses it.

Giovanni built their home in Loiri. It is nestled between two mountain ranges. Unfortunately while we were visiting with them, one of their horses were stolen. Through connections they found out who stole it but by the time we left, a plan had not yet been put together to get the horse back.

Sardinia: Capo Cado Cavallo, June 2010

Capo Cado Cavallo was my favourite beach in Sardinia. It is very isolated and hidden away within a nature reserve that juts into the ocean. It can only be reached by dirt track. The sun was scorching hot and we had to hide under the brambles during the hottest time of the day.

Nude tanning is very common on Sardinian beaches. Women are almost looked upon strangely when they are not topless.

This particular beach had a very beautiful debris strewn across it for the days that we spent on it. It looked like shavings of grey stone but it was a type of sea grass that had washed into the bay.

Sardinia: Cala Ganone and Cala Luna, June 2010

Sardinia is an island just off of Italy. Sardinians are fiercely proud of their own heritage and consider themselves to be Sardinian, not Italian. The country itself is vastly different to Italy in climate, landscape and people. It is one of the few countries that I could see myself returning to for an extended period of time.

Cala Ganone and Cala Luna are two beaches in a series of many enclosed beaches that can be found at the foot of caves. The caves run deeply into the mountains, through which deep underground rivers run. The beaches can only be reached via boat.

Calvin and I caught a boat with the locals who dropped us off at the beach and showed us the caves. The formations and patterns within the rocks are intriguing. Unfortunately graffiti lines the caves that are easily reached by those who access the beaches.

We spent the day on the beach and then caught the boat back to the little town where we parked. During the day, German children played nearby with their dog. They made castles and jumped off of them. They caught fish, their naked bottoms bobbing about the water. The dog got buried and then dug out.

A rock climber held my attention for hours as he made his way up the rock face. If I was to return, I would do so with climbing gear.